


Black & White.

by siruru



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Black Mage Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Canon Compliant, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Falling In Love, Feelings Realization, Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Male-Female Friendship, Miqo'te Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Named Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Red Mage Questline (Final Fantasy XIV), Temporarily Unrequited Love, background story established
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:47:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24352342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siruru/pseuds/siruru
Summary: Magic comes as easy as breathing for some people, falling in love...not so much.
Relationships: Zhai'a Nelhah/Warrior of Light, warrior of light & black mages
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> powered though the black mage quest line after awhile and fell in love with zhai'a. here is the result. 
> 
> this is post the defiant one quest arc and some mention of stuff from red mage quest.

Maybe, Y’uria is just unlucky in  _ all _ forms of white magic, or maybe she just had a certain type -- the kind that doesn’t like her back. 

Y’uria is sure that she can hear her sisters laughing over if this, if they ever found out. Not only had she fallen for a miqo'te that was a worrisome Keeper of the Moon, but a white mage on top of that -- when she could barely cast cure until becoming a Red Mage.

_ Was it not your dream to see the black and white --the arts of healing and destruction-- united for the common good?  _

Y’uria had thought that she had been part of that dream as well when he had spoken of it after they had beaten Waldeve, but maybe Zhai’a had a different path planned for him and Lalali. It would be understandable, Lalai was cute and for the most part, they could talk to each of opposing views for hours on end. The Keeper barely talked to her and even then, he had only ever apologized or yelled at her. 

She understood why as well, but it was better to keep her thoughts to herself. If she worked hard enough to push forward, this would all be a passing fancy at the end of the day. 

Books and studying were all she needed, as she looked around the Elder-seer's collection for books that might talk about the War of Magi a bit better than those housed in Ul’dah. 

Though she should know why now that she never has the best luck when it comes to white magic. 

“Y’uria,” a familiar voice stops her, as she looks at the tall bookshelf for a moment, “what are you doing here?” 

She turns to see dark eyes looking her way, as she gives Zhai’a a small smile. Y’uria had been hoping not to get caught or seen by most of the conjurers and white mages that knew her, all she wanted to do was read, thus she had changed to the simple jacket and skirt that was her Gunbreaker outfit. However, something else might have given her away. 

“Zhai’a, how are you?” she manages to ask while not looking directly at the man. Due to this, she doesn’t notice the look he gives her growing stack of books and forgets to answer back. 

“The War of Magi?” 

“Oh yes,” Y’uria remarks with a shrug, “You and Lalai speak so much of it when we meet, I thought it would be best for me to read and understand both sides of the conflict as best as I can.” 

“It is only understable that those Black mages--” Zhai’a starts off in a familiar rant, something that he still hasn’t completely gotten rid of, only to stop when he sees Y’uria’s frown deepen. 

“My clan’s healer,” she starts off, lost in memory while looking at the trees that turned into a familiar forest but in trying to make a point, “tried to teach me how to use basic white magic to heal the hunters, but I never understood it.  _ There’s too much darkness in you _ , she told me before giving up on teaching me.” 

“That’s preposterous--”

“It isn’t,” she says while shaking her head, “I have met people through my adventures that are just like that.  _ They have too much darkness in them _ that they lean towards black magic. But, it depends on the person what they do with that. I thought you had learned this already.” 

“I am sorry,” he manages to say once she finished, as Y’uria sighs, “I did not know of such things.” 

“Most people do not,” she remarks coolly, “But I didn't mean to give you a lecture. I apologize.” 

“No,” Zhai’a remarks with a weary smile, “Any magic is bound to teach something new each day.” 

“Yes, I suppose so,” she nods in agreement, “But, I should be wasting any more of your time.” 

She is about to turn and leave to get one of the younger children related to Kanna-E-Sen to see the book that she has taken when a hand on her jacket stops her. She glances at the taller miqo'te with a questioning glance, as he lets out a nervous cough.

“I did not mean to offend,” he remarks nervously as blue eyes watch him, “But if you are interested in learning more about the War and the  _ theory  _ of white magic, I am always willing to support you.” 

“I--Thank you,” is all she manages to say before pulling. She ends up giving him one last nod before leaving with the books in hand. 

Zhai’a stands there until he can no longer see her. 


	2. Chapter 2

Zhai’a wants to make amends over his behavior, but it is a whole month before he sees Y’uria or the other black mages again. An easy enough explanation of being busy should suffice since they all have their studies and personal jobs, but Y’uria is dressed completely differently since the last time he had seen her. 

It's one of the first things he notices. 

A long purple skirt and sleeveless robe as a top alongside a bright yellow sash to top it off, as she smiles at him for a second before getting to the task at hand. 

“The weather is certainly nicer here,” she can’t help but remark to herself, though Zhai’a seems to catch it. 

He seems to be catching a lot of things about her today.

He wants to ask a lot more things, but their duty comes before anything else as he follows her and Lady Shattoto to Ala Gannha.

* * *

> _ “Thank you, my friend. Your courage inspires me. Pray let me offer my strength, that together we may secure the future of our realm.”  _

It’s only afterwards that Zhai’a realizes that it is probably one of the nicest things that he had said to the black mage since they had met. Her small smile had been something to keep him complacent, but her eyes told a different story -- at least that is what Shattato had told him on the way back to Ul’dah. 

Zhai’a wasn’t the best at reading the air or doing anything about this sort of thing. Outside of all this black magic dealings, Zhai’a didn’t know anything about the Seeker miqo'te and it wasn’t like he didn’t want to, but he had never been the best when it came to those types of things -- companionship and getting to know people. So, he did the best thing that he could do -- studying and researching more about Shattoto and her time. 

He even looked into what Y’uria had told him in one brief conversation -- that there were people prone to certain magical arts compared to others. It was hard to believe but he was aware of the evil things that black mages had done back during the War of Magi, giving their souls and lives to demons and voidsent for a better chance, still echoed in this day and age. 

It sickened him, but what happened to the generations afterwards? 

He studied and studied until he couldn’t see the words on the pages anymore, hoping to share what he found with the pink-haired miqo'te -- a true exchange of black and white magic was just above the horizon. 

However, Zhai’a has a tendency of pushing himself too far and too hard rather quickly as he reads to all the books he can find in the Conjurer's Guild and even uses his status to get some of the older books. He reads and takes notes on whatever he can find, sometimes going into the early morning without any regard towards his health. 

That is when she finds her passed out in one of the desks within the library. For a moment, Zhai’a thinks she’s a dream, something composed of all his nervousness and general guilt over how he had treated her, but the cold touch onto his forehead tells him that it is not. However, he is much too sick to pull back from it and fluster about such a situation. 

“You should take better care of yourself,” Y’uria scolds him like a mother would a child, “All this studying is well and good, but it will not matter at all if you’re sick in bed, Zhai’a.” 

She grimaces once more, as hazy, dark eyes watch her: “There are people that worry about your well-being. Take that into consideration.” 

Zhai’a wants to say that there isn’t, that there hasn’t been in a long time, but doesn’t find it important to burden her with such matters at the moment. Instead, he feels her fingers linger a second longer than they should on his face. 

She shrugs, as if breaking a spell before slowly getting up, “I will call someone to help me take you to your room, and you will rest. Understood?”

All he can do is nod as he watches her walk away again before falling into a heavy sleep.

* * *

It’s several hours later when Zhai’a is more than capable of waking up. His eyes are hazy and take time adjusting to the light, as he moves through muscle memory to look for his glasses. He tries to remember how he got here in the first place, but between recollecting things and picking up his glasses Zhai’a feels something move near the corner of this bed. A shiver of panic runs down his spine as he is quick to put on his glasses as the warm thing next to him groans. 

Zhai’a is very close to screaming until the thing, a Miqo'te to be exact, gets up and yawns. A stretch and push back of hair lets him see a familiar face as he realizes that what had happened earlier was not a dream. 

“Ah, you are awake,” Y’uria exclaims with a sleepy smile as she settles back into the chair she had been sitting in. Zhai’a sees a book laying next to her and an extra cup on his bed stand makes him wonder how long she had exactly been here, “I will get someone to check up on you.” 

Y’uria nods to herself before getting up and straightening her clothes for a moment. She doesn’t let Zhai’a do or say anything before he is left alone in his room.

The Keeper feels the warmth rush to his cheeks at the lingering comfort and smell of familiar magic that she had left in her wake, as he tried to ignore the increased beating of his heart as he laid back down on his bed. 

“Thank you.” 

It was all he could say in the emptiness of his room.


	3. Chapter 3

_ “The Elder Seedseer has told me that Y’uria has a friend among their kind. Mayhap it would be best if she sought the counsel of this Vidofnir before we proceed.” _

_ “That is correct in a manner of speaking,” Y’uria manages to say before looking away, almost as if stuck between denial and annoyance. However, she did not add anything else she moved into the decrepit tower.  _

_ The number of surprises that the black mage has does not seem to end, which causes Zhai’a to keep praising her: _

_ “A master of the dark arts  _ **_and_ ** _ a confidant of dragons? You never ceased to surprise me, my friend.” _

If matters weren’t as dire, that of trying to save all of Eorzea, Zhai’a would have lingered longer on the wide-eyed stare Y’uria had given him at the end of his speech. Somewhere between her having watched over him and their combined effort to Lady Shatotto's world-saving scheme, he had come to the realization that Y’uria was someone he could call _ friend _ , though he hadn’t been kind to her at all since meeting her. 

Lalai had always been the one to show some hostility back at him; however, the younger miqo'te never said anything back. Blue eyes usually just looked at him in silence before she turned away. While he deserved that, Zhai’a had come to the realization that his attitude was a complete disservice to the people he now knew -- the black mages he knew were good, if not strange people. 

Y’uria was a good person, and certainly an interesting one with all the company that she seemed to keep.

* * *

> _ “You have seen our art weld for the greatest of good and the worst of evil. Having witnessed firsthand your prowess and sheer strength of your resolve, I gladly leave the future of our art in your hands. Walk the path well, Y’uria of the Black.”  _

Shatotto’s last words to the black mage kept rolling around in Zhai’a’s head at all hours of the day and night until they slowly turned into weeks. He keeps thinking of the most mysterious member of the black mages, even though he should move forward with the information and details that Lalai has given him. 

The lalafell is at the forefront of this endeavor with him and while it is all well and good, he cannot help to wonder and think what Y’uria would do about all this. However, that wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be from what he had heard from Lalai:

> _ “Y’uria is a very busy woman,” Lalai was quick to answer the same questions once more, “I know she supports the idea and will be more than willing to help once she comes back.”  _

However, whenever Zhai’a tried to ask where she was and what she was doing, Lalai would simply dismiss his question with a remark that would start a heated discussion between the two of them. The bickering would lead him to forget all about what he had been asking about in the first place. 

* * *

The truth that has been alluding Zhai’a comes later on, when he has returned to New Gridania and already filled his report with the Elder Seer. Once again, he was searching through the books held within Conjurers' Guild to see what more could be done about the Black Mages and getting them the recognition that they deserved. However, he was slowly getting lost in his own mind in regards to black mages with pink hair and pretty blue eyes after Lalai had told him that she had been making progress on her project. 

Zhai’a wasn’t sure why and what he should exactly do about said thoughts. It left him at an impasse in the middle of the library. 

“Ah, Zhai’a,” a soft voice breaks his thoughts. He looks up to see the Elder Seer with a smile on her, “Are you alright? You seem more lost in thought than usual.” 

Truly, that was an understatement though since Zhai’a tended to be one of the more vocal members of the hearers, but his more recent adventures and interactions left him with much to think about. For being so vocal once about black magic and its evils, some of his closest friends were that now. He still wondered and thought how he could make up for all of it.

“I am fine, Elder Seer,” Zhai’a finally manages to answer with a faint smile, “Simply thinking about more recent events and what to do about them now.” 

“Ah, you mean your trip to the Dravanian Forelands with the Warrior of Light,” Kan-E-Senna answers, “I have yet to read your complete report, but I am sure that you will find your answer soon enough. Most tend to do with her at their side.” 

“Excuse me, Elder Seer,” Zhai’a pauses while looking at the blond woman, “I did not travel with the famed Warrior of Light.” 

Kan-E-Senna looks at him, as if searching for something, before shaking her head: “I was unaware you did not know.   


“What of, Elder Seer?”

“That Y’uria Aldia is the Warrior of Light,” she responds back with a smile, mostly likely at the shocked look on his face. 

It was a daunting thought since not many interacted with said Warrior of Light, but the Elder Seer had been one of them some time ago with the battle against Gaius van Baelsar. In a moment, a lot of things about Y’uria makes sense, though it does bring up a lot more questions than answers in the long run.

“I see,” is all Zhai’a can really say on the matter at that moment.

He willl certaintly have many questions to ask Y'uria, and certainly Lalai, when he sees them again. 


End file.
